Lexington, Ky. - U.S. para-equestrians kicked off the 2015 season in winning style by securing CPEDI3* victory over Canada during the first week of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival. Led by Chef d’Equipe Kai Handt, the team of Rebecca Hart, Annie Peavy, Sydney Collier, and Roxanne Trunnell finished on a score of 415.438. Hart (Unionville, Pa.) and her own Schroeters Romani led the way for the U.S., scoring 73.284% in the Team Test and 72.857% in the Individual Test of Grade II...

Kelli Cruciotti and Chamonix H (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Kelli Cruciotti hasn't graduated from high school yet, but has already asserted herself as one of the most competitive young riders at the 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival and a contender in the Artisan Farms Under 25 Grand Prix Series, presented by the Dutta Corp. in association with Guido Klatte. From an original order capped at 68, Cruciotti and Chamonix H, owned by Serenity Equestrian Ventures, joined an 18-horse jump-off...

Conor Swail and Martha Louise (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - The 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) concluded its second week of competition, sponsored by Wellington Equestrian Realty, on Sunday with a win for Ireland's Conor Swail and Martha Louise in the $34,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic. Course designer Luc Musette finished the week with 34 rounds in the 1.50m competition with six to jump-off. Swail and Ariel and Susan Grange's Martha Louise cleared the short...

Ellie Ferrigno and Boneparte Z (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Ellie Ferrigno guided Kristi C Siam's horse, Boneparte Z, to three firsts and a second over fences to finish the final day of hunter competition as the Echo Junior Hunter 3'3" champion. Only working together for a month, Ferrigno and Boneparte Z looked like seasoned partners. "He's [Boneparte Z] a really sweet horse. We match really well, and he's really fun!" Ferrigno exclaimed. The reserve champion was awarded to...

Andy Kocher and Land Rebel sail over the CWD oxer on their way to the win Saturday night (A&S Photography) Pensacola, Fla. - Andrew Kocher of Lake St. Louis, Missouri has had a very successful run during Week II of the Gulf Coast Winter Classics in Pensacola. After scoring a trifecta win in Friday's $5,000 HorseFlight Open Welcome class, he went on to win the $25,000 Nutrena Grand Prix with his own Land Rebel under the lights in the covered arena on Saturday night. "The course looked...

Ian Millar and Dixson (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Canada's Ian Millar was the proud winner of Saturday night's $50,000 Wellington Equestrian Realty Grand Prix CSI 2* aboard Ariel and Susan Grange's Dixson during week two of the 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). In a five-horse jump-off, Millar and Dixson topped the class by two one-hundredths of a second over Brianne Goutal (USA) and Remarkable Farms LP's Zernike K. Course designer Luc Musette (BEL) set a challenging...

Will Simpson and The Dude take first place in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix Friday, January 16 (ESI Photography) Thermal, Calif. - With no faults and a time of 42.815 seconds, Will Simpson and The Dude, owned by Monarch International, won the first Grand Prix of the season at the HITS Desert Circuit. One of only three riders to go clear, Simpson prevailed in the jump-off with a time almost three seconds faster than his nearest competitor, Susan Artes and Zamiro, owned by Alix Fargo. With the...

Lexington, Ky. - On a night dedicated to the horse, two special athletes were recognized for their excellence in 2014 during the USEF's Year End Awards Gala. In a year that witnessed equestrian athletes excel, Cortes 'C' and Ellis GV reached the pinnacle of their sports and for their achievements were named International and National Horse of the Year, respectively. Voting was open to the public through January and both horses, already fan favorites, were rewarded for their...

Lexington, Ky. - To close out a year of milestones, Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, N.Y.) was awarded the Robert P. Strub Trophy as the 2014 USEF Equestrian of the Year at the USEF Pegasus Awards Dinner. In the process the jumping superstar again made history as the first athlete to ever earn the coveted title four times. The 2005, 2006, and 2013 Equestrian of the Year extended her legacy in 2014 with a remarkable campaign that saw her collect victories throughout North America and Europe. Her season...

Say When and Danielle Baran (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Traveling from Toronto, Canada, Danielle Baran and her horse Say When were the WEF 2 Triple Crown Blankets Adult Amateur Hunter 36-49 champions. Baran rode Say When to four over fences victories over the two days of competition. Reserve Champion honors went to Ashley Whitner and her own Larkspur. The combination was second in three of the four over fences classes. Baran bought Say When as he was turning four years old, after trainer...